


A few firsts of many

by Critically_endangered



Series: I’ll make the world safe and sound for you [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex rules this household we all know it, Alexander Hamilton is George Washington's Biological Son, Also please note there are no romantic relationships between the two ten year olds mentioned, Birthday Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, George Washington is a Dad, George and Jacky simply cannot handle Alex’s cuteness, Hamilson, I welcome you all back to Bea is terrible at tagging, Imma bout to sprinkle yall with baby cuteness, Jacky actually being a ten year old, Jacky also rips on reading. Like how dare he-, Minor Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Patsy isn’t in this one as much :(, This is not beta read because again we are lacking in friends and too anxious to make em, Washingdad, Washington is proud of his kids tho, We love her, baby Alex is back at it stealing his brothers heart, but I am not neglecting her. She will be back and here to cause havoc, first word fic, so yall just gonna have to trust me- lmao good luck, the F/M is strictly George and Martha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 20:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30111798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Critically_endangered/pseuds/Critically_endangered
Summary: Birthday gifts can often get repetitive, they exhibit the same emotional response every single year without failure. No new positives, nor negatives.At least that’s how it had been for nine years; without much thought of any significant change. However, once Jacky’s tenth birthday finally arrives, not only does he receive the first educational book to catch any sort of interest, but Alexander presents him with the best birthday gift he could have ever asked for; his first spoken word.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton & George Washington, Alexander Hamilton & Martha Washington, George Washington/Martha Washington, John Parke Custis & Alexander Hamilton, John Parke Custis & George Washington
Series: I’ll make the world safe and sound for you [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2215704
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	A few firsts of many

**Author's Note:**

> https://critical-endangered.tumblr.com/  
> I still don’t know how to link this properly, so here have this thing-  
> (Nah but seriously I’d love to chat to some of you about my favourite boys 🥺 please feel free to drop by!)

For as long as Jacky could possibly remember, every intellectually personalised adult he knew had insisted that reading was the fundamental basis of all things educational and enjoyable, a necessity he needed to capture in his youth to ensure he could make something of himself one day.

And, again, for as long as he could remember, he hadn't believed that to be true, no matter how much his stepfather attempted to make certain books seem entertaining. It took great lengths for any sort of novel to interest Jacky, and even then they were never educational.

Well, at least not until his tenth birthday.

He had not expected his mind to be so easily swayed on the cold early winter's day. The gifts he had received from his relatives, while always lovely, were the same as the many years prior; clothing, ink, paints, shoes, and even a few pieces of riding equipment, although the latter was actually a highly appreciated investment from his stepfather, who often indulged Jacky's love of horses and riding, despite his constant worry that the boy's hobby took precedence over his studies.

He had actually been riding with his closest friend, Anne Amélie, the previous evening, when even she had informed him that she would be stopping by Mount Vernon during the mid-afternoon of his birthday to drop off a gift, despite his insistence that she need not act upon those words.

But as promised, Anne had arrived on her horse just after lunch, with a package wrapped up in an offish brown paper and pretty lilac ribbon tucked beneath the flap of her satchel.

Jacky had unwrapped it eagerly, yet with care to avoid ruining the pretty bow, to reveal a beautifully leather bound atlas. The book's cover was plain of any illustrations, but the spine was printed with a few sporadic green and blue stripes, leaving a slip of space for the authors name. Inside, it was filled with over sixty different maps scouting across both America, Europe, the oceans between and even parts of Asia. Anne had even already marked the route her family took from Virginia to Versailles every time they visited her mother's homeland, and explained every course of action they took in preparation for their trip on a small piece of parchment she had slipped into the book.

It was an extremely thoughtful gift, and had even completely juxtaposed Jacky's usual demeanour towards books and other sorts of reading utensils. He could safely say he absolutely adored his new atlas and it's extremely interesting qualities, as did Jacky's stepfather and not-so-baby brother, although he supposed for typically different reasons.

On one hand, George Washington had always loved academics with any sort of reading connotations, reading had saved his own education after his own father's death, not to mention geography always picked at the man's military interest.

Understandably, Alexander just loved interesting colours and shapes, and had practically been entranced by the beauty of the faded hues of Jacky's new maps since the book had been opened up on their wooden back porch.

Patsy had also been outside with them at the time, sitting atop a beige picnic blanket with her own copy of Hamlet clutched between her hands for entertainment purposes. She clearly found no interest in Jacky's gift, and instead chose to admire Anne's new boots and the lilac ribbon the gift had been wrapped in for a few minutes before skipping off to find their mother, who had been setting up the dining hall for their evening meal. She always made such a large effort with the decorations and fancier cutlery for her children's birthdays or other big celebrations, it often took hours to set up, even with help.

His father and Alex had been extremely interest however, and the four of them had replaced Patsy on the picnic blanket, reading through the maps and plotting different courses with their fingers as they discussed over each landmark. Anne had originally only planned to give Jacky his gift and return home soon afterwards, and yet going on five hours later, neither Anne, Alex nor Jacky had moved from their positions on the floor, George himself only leaving twice to retrieve a few of his own geographical and biology books for the children to flick through when discussing the types of aquatic animals living amongst the Atlantic Ocean, the large body of water separating the American colonies from Europe, and more specifically Britain.

Jacky had never paid any other European countries much mind before he met Anne, he felt no need too, but under their introduction seven months ago he had learnt Anne's mother was french, and the family had actually lived in France for three years. Since the news had been spilled, Jacky had taken a large interest in the monarchist country, which had certainly influenced the young girl's gift to her best friend.

It was only when Alexander began to fidget under the protest of his chilly state did Jacky realise just how long they had been sat outside in the nippy winter air. The coolness had clearly been withering away at his baby brother's excitable enthusiasm, and minimising his verbal incoherencies to nothing more than tiny whines and whinges in his own little linguistics.

It was always bittersweet whenever Alex babbled in his own dysfunctional choppy version of the English language. Jacky knew his brother had never been a quiet baby, every waking moment was either filled with a squawking, gurgling, giggling, or often crying, and well into six months Alex had switched from simple noises to what sounded like some sort of chatter. Still, nothing coherent, all abstract jumbles of mixed syllables and sounds, but all the same it was an improvement.

However, unfortunately the Washington family were still waiting for Alex to utter his first perfectly formulated word, hopefully even associating his new communication skills with a direct object, maybe pointing out the light from a candle, or potentially George's parental title, as Jacky still speculated that would be the first thing to lucidly tumble from Alex's lips. 

But there was not much chance of that happening anytime soon, not that Jacky minded at all, he did not want to pressure Alex into academics the way his parents were doing to him. He could understand their reasonings for pushing his success, but it did not increase his enjoyment, if anything it almost dampened the encouragement he originally had for pedagogy.

Nonetheless, even Jacky was slightly surprised that the small stack of books George had retrieved from his study had no influence on calming Alex's fussing, no illustrations of fish, turtles, or even exoskeletal crabs could soothe his brother, and instead the small boy had began to grow teary, tugging at his father's coat in hopes of receiving whatever attention he wanted, something Alex had grown _very_ accustomed too since his birth.

Even Jacky could admit he played a large part in Alexander's lack of independency and tendencies to grow clingy, he was extremely guilty when it came to consistently giving into the boy. Although, in his own defence, how on earth could he possibly say no to those beautiful blue eyes when they were brimming with tears?

"You have such a talent with small children, Mr Washington," Anne chuckled politely, lifting her gaze from its originally fixated position amongst the map of a Prussian sector in Northern Europe. Oxymoronically, Alexander continued to shift around, awkwardly wrapping himself amongst the folds of George's red military coat, even opting to bite down on one of the golden hooks used to pin the fabric together to ensure warmth when the temperature began to drop.

"Thank you, Anne, how nice of you to say." George smiled in return, fishing the hook from between Alex's gap-filled baby teeth. "Not in your mouth, treasure."

"You know Lexy, you won't have much luck in finding a nice wife if you keep putting inedible items in your mouth," Jacky jeered playfully, hoping to ease his brother with the simple soothing sound of his voice. While Alex paid his older brother no mind and continued to pick at his father's jacket with uncoordinated fingers, Anne's harsh grey eyes firmly fixated atop Jacky's frame, almost daring him to express exactly what he felt would attract a nice woman. She did that quite often, it was annoyingly fresh and exhilarating. "Although, I suppose at your age it would be socially acceptable, one might find you quite cute if you were lucky."

"Most women find babies utterly captivating," his father hummed dismissively. Jacky certainly knew that to be true, he honestly felt awful for Alexander whenever they ventured into the nearing towns as a family. The local women would always pinch the infant's cheeks, which would inevitably scald his mood and ensure some sort of whining or even crying until either George or Jacky retracted him from the uncomfortable situation. "Would you say that is testified, Miss Amélie?"

Anne shook her head almost absentmindedly, tracing her finger along a pinpoint in the Netherlands map.

"I personally would have to disagree. I am yet to find the enjoyment most girls experience when doting on small children and infants. My parent's have always hired nannies to watch my siblings, and even I at a younger age, so I do not have much experience with them," she explained briefly. Anne had been quite stiff around Alexander upon their first meeting, and had actually declined when Patsy bad asked if the older girl wanted to hold the then four month old. They had somewhat gotten use to one another since the ordeal, Anne accepting that she was not expected to pamper the small child, and Alex welcoming the fact that finally somebody didn't want to squeeze his face or bounce him in their arms. They could both co-exist in Jacky's life without clashing interests, much to the ten year old's pleasure. "However, I am sure you are right, Mr Washington, I have seen the way my aunts fuss over my younger brothers, it's quite...off putting if I am to be truthful, but it happens nonetheless."

"A fair judgment I would say," George agreed. If he were allowed to exclude Alex from what would be considered a small child, Jacky could also completely agree with Anne when it came to the rare appeal of cooing over sticky children.

But not only was Alexander his own family, but he was also genuinely quite cute, and certainly not in the stereotypical type of way in which an elderly person would claim an infant to be utterly beautiful, when in reality they were quite unattractive, maybe even ugly. No- Alex had charm even at such a young age. Those big violet-blue eyes that seemingly changed shade in the sun, his long auburn hair tickling at his neck, and the spotted freckles across his fair cheeks tying the package together.

The icy-cold autumn wind suddenly bristled throughout the atmosphere, and Jacky found himself pulling his own coat tighter around his slim frame. He immediately noticed his brother's frustration as he began to extend his arms in Jacky's direction, pulling the ever familiar 'I'm your adorably angelic little brother who just wants a hug and definitely won't pull your hair or reek havoc' face, consisting of two big sparkling eyes and a pouty lip.

The fractions of a past one sided conversation between Jacky and Alex flickered throughout the ten year old's mind as he willingly accepted his brother from their father, who was also making quick work of tightening his own jacket around his torso in an attempt to avoid the sharp bite of the mordant wind.

Jacky had once told Alex long before the boy could even interpret the world that he was not to use any persuasive tactics against his older brother, especially if they were tutored from one sibling to another. But alas, the unanswered promise had been broken several times, even before his first birthday Alex could clearly comprehend just how to persuade his brother and father. He knew the faces to pull, the noises to make, the body language to show off, he was an extremely clever child, it was honestly so impressive that Jacky couldn't even bring himself to be angry, and he was fully aware just how easily he were being played as if he were nothing more than a cup and ball, by a ten month old no less.

The small boy's pouty manner instantly melted into melodic giggles as he began burying his face into Jacky's chest, most likely in an attempt to stay warm.

Jacky automatically cupped the boy's back with his free hand, while use the other to scope out the map Anne was still studying, staring quizzically at a certain location between the British isles and the Netherlands.

"Why do I feel as though you are enjoying this gift more than I am?" He asked, catching the girl off-guard. She sent him a warning glare as she continued to trace her finger along the dotted markings outlining the northern hemisphere, before briskly shaking her head, brown curls escaping the neatly pinned style she had most likely rushed first thing that same morning. Jacky honestly found her attitude quite comical, it was a nice change from the usual perfectly submissive young women he had met from their northern neighbours, or even the coquettishly giggling girls from the nearing towns.

"I have the same atlas myself, however I have a specific route marked. It's the directions Princess Elizabeth Stuart took when exiting England after a brief meeting with her father once she and her husband were kicked out of the Palatine. They took their leave to the heavily Protestant Netherlands," she informed him, lifting her finger slightly to plant it on the aforementioned country. "I was tracing the route with my finger, like I said I already have it marked in my copy. I want to travel it someday for historical purposes."

"Well, when you reach eighteen, I do not see why you cannot." He suggested blankly. It did seem like fun after all, perhaps he could go with her.

His father continued to watch the two pre-teenagers chat about the oceans between Britain and Europe, a look of amused shock on his usually unreadable features. Jacky could only speculate George was surprised at his stepson's sudden interest in some form of studying for once, but travelling the seas did seem extremely interesting, and therefore Jacky could justify his integumentary attentiveness.

"I will most likely be married off by then, and quite possibly prepared to bare children if my father gets his way, so unfortunately not," she sighed with a grim smile. "But let us not dwell, this is your birthday after all! It's supposed to be a joyful occasion."

"I guess you are right," he agreed, pushing away the saddening thought that somebody as spirited as Anne would not be able to live out her own dreams simply because of her gender. Jacky had never met a girl who had her own plans before, and although intriguing, it was terribly upsetting too. He looked to his father for his opinion, but the man had become fixated on his pocket watch, most likely assessing the time and just how long it would be until supper was prepared. Jacky could admit he was quite ready to go inside too, the air was not as enjoyable once the sun had set. No wonder Alexander was getting so antsy. "I cannot wait to see what dessert we are having tonight."

It had been a huge tradition to have a big dessert after supper on somebody's birthday for as long as he could remember. He wasn't quite sure whether his biological father had participated in the event, or if it had originated with Washington, but Jacky frankly didn't care, he enjoyed it all the same. Patsy and her infamous sweet tooth utterly loved it too, she would often bounce in her seat upon the delectable foods unveiling at the dining table.

When he thought it over, it would actually be Alex's first time participating in the birthday tradition, as during Patsy's eighth birthday he had barely been two months old, and unable to consume any sort of solids. "We have a whole new birthday to support the practice too, another blessing of Alex's arrival in my opinion."

"I personally believe treasure's arrival was a beautiful miracle for many different reasonings, but I'm glad he has helped aid your quest for sweet treats, dearest." George laughed wholeheartedly, clearly amused by his son's speculations. The calming noise caught Alex's attention for a moment as he began to twist his neck towards his father, while still keeping his head of red curls nestled into Jacky's chest. The ten year old allowed a hand to snake its way throughout Alex's hair automatically, much to the baby's satisfactory purr.

"When exactly is Alex's birthday? I do not believe I have ever asked." Anne inquired as she too moved to tighten her long coat around her body. Jacky felt quite bad as the sudden realisation that Anne was going to have to ride home in the bitter cold and pitch-black dark by herself set in, maybe he could persuade Pa' to take her home in the carriage. Jacky would accompany them of course. 

"The eleventh of January, he was not due until March believe it or not," George replied, slowly pushing himself into a steady standing position. Jacky couldn't help but snigger at the sound of his father's knees popping as they stretched, notwithstanding the fact he was able to hold his tongue from making a snide remark about his father getting old, he was only in his early thirties after all. 

"I cannot quite believe it has almost been a year since he was born, it has gone by so quickly!" He commented, resting his chin against Alex's head. As predicted, Alex's chubby fingers had somehow found themselves entangled between Jacky's brown curls, and the older boy could only hope his brother wouldn't give them a sharp tug in a moment of bairn centred mischief.

"What do you mean? Time is not temperamental?" Anne asked, a hint of suspicion hovering in her tone.

"He does not mean literally, Anne, more so figuratively. A big change in ones life can often make time feel as if it were moving quicker or slower, Alex's arrival has filled our year up with many new events, and has made the time seem to move much faster," George explained, much to Jacky's relief. He didn't quite know how to put his feelings into words at the best of times, especially not to Anne, who had a tendency to take things very precisely. "I think I may go and find your mother and sister to see how long we must wait before supper is ready. Anne, please do make sure he does not follow me, he has a tendency to be nosy when it comes to surprises." 

Jacky felt his face heat up at his father's embarrassing accusations, only made worse by Anne's soft giggle, perfectly covered by her no-longer-gloved hand.

"Of course, Mr Washington." 

"Treasure, do you wish to join me? Or would you rather stay with Jacky, hm?" Their father asked.

Jacky already knew the answer without needing any sort of verbal clarification from Alex. When his brother got himself attached to somebody's person, whether it be his mother or sister's laps, his father's hip, or Jacky's torso, there wasn't much chance of him letting go without some sort of hysterics.

Even so, Alex fixed his father with a puzzled look, as if he couldn't quite believe his needy actions were being questioned, before whispering something of negative connotations in his own juvenile linguistics.

It always felt incredibly heartwarming whenever Alex grew attached to him, as silly as it seemed from time to time. It made Jacky feel appreciated and frankly loved, especially by somebody who consisted of only purity and innocence, nothing would ever take that feeling away from him. Even if on the minority chance he and Alex grew to hate one another as adults, he would always relish in the fact as a pure infant, Alex had well and truly loved-

"Jacky."

Jacky felt his hand- which had only been drifting towards his atlas, ready to shut the book to avoid any damage coming to its neatly pressed pages in the harsher wind as the gusts began to strengthen- fall suddenly rigid in mid air as the sweetly high-pitched noise he would usually associate with Alexander's babble formulated a structured word.

Not just any structured word, a name, his name.

Alex had just said his name. 

He allowed a shocked gasp to slip between his lips as the noise continued to ring against his eardrums, the pure startling reality that Alexander had just spoken sincerely settling into Jacky's warming stomach, no matter the cold of the late November evening.

Alex seemed to soak up the attention as both his father, brother and Anne all stared at him in complete astonishment, nobody really certain on what to say or who to speak too. The babe pulled his head away from his brother's chest as he rocked on his pelvis, a beautiful smile illuminating his cheeks while everybody gawked in his direction, that familiar grin mimicking an early morning sunrise soaking in the admiration of its watchers, flooding his rosy freckled cheeks.

"Did he just..." Anne was the first to speak, although the rest of her sentence seemed to die on her tongue, unable to reach her lips. It always took a lot to shock somebody such as Anne.

"I-I-." he couldn't quite believe it, he had been rendered completely speechless. John Custis, at only ten, had seen far too many controversies in his somewhat short life, some of which somebody his age should never have heard of, and never had he ever been rendered speechless before.

Alexander looked to be the only unfazed member of the Washington men and their neighbour, continuing to simply smile at Jacky's shocked look, even mustering the audacity to giggle slightly, taking his brother's coat collar in his tiny hand and giving it a sharp, curious tug.

"Excuse you," he finally mustered a playful snap, gathering his vocals and splintering from his momentary trance despite the still highly resenting shock streaming through his body. He hadn't even looked up at to his Pa' as of yet, he couldn't quite guess how he was possibly reacting. "Listen up good ya' little troublemaker, you do _not_ get to knock the wind out of me by saying my name on my birthday of all days and then titter as if nothing is amiss. That's called teasing 'Lexy."

A burst of confusion and comfort swept throughout Jacky's bloodstream as his father suddenly returned to his crouched position beside the boys, seemingly struck with silent teary pride as he placed a hand on Jacky's shoulder and the other moving to cup the back of Alex's head, ruffling up the ten month old's hair as he gurgled happily, leaning his head backwards towards the soft hold. 

"Is that the first thing he has ever said?" Anne beamed, scooting herself closer to the boy's as an attempt give them a congratulatory squeeze of the forearm.

"For all I am knowledgeable, I'd say it was! And my name of all things!" He grinned proudly, nestling the left side of his head into Alex's hair. "I cannot believe it, and on my birthday of all days! Oh Pa', can you believe it? How utterly incredible!"

"I certainly wouldn't be able to if I hadn't heard it with my own ears," George laughed, pulling his two boys into a tight hug. Jacky allowed his body to be squeezed, and even tightened his own hold on Alexander as the three of them curled into a loving embrace. "How fantastic, what an excellent milestone!"

Alex, seemingly now uncomfortable with the sudden claustrophobic pressure around his being, began to flex his fingers in George's direction, insinuating he wished to be held by his father once again. Jacky couldn't even bring himself to take offence, he was utterly ecstatic over the news.

Without even giving a moment of second guessing, George scooped his youngest son into his arms upon request, pressing their foreheads together as he began to litter the boy's cool cheeks with small kisses, much to Alex's overbearing frustration.

"You may fuss all you like, treasure, but I am so incredibly proud of you." George praised, resting his own skull against Alexander's. The boy simply huffed in reply, as if he hadn't just perfectly pronounced his very first articulated word mere moments beforehand, quickly grabbing at his father's loose strands of hair, escapees from his tight ponytail.

"You are always so incredibly proud of him, but I feel as though this is a special occasion?" Martha's soft voice radiated throughout the cool atmosphere as she slipped out of the doorway leading from the wooden porch into their home. She was wearing a beautiful gown Jacky had never seen her in before, and if his mind wasn't so clouded with joy he would have asked why she insisted on buying a new dress for every spectacular affair they endured as a family. "Now, what is all of this commotion about?"

"Alexander said my name!" Jacky enthused excitedly, his voice practically oozing with idolisation and pure happiness. "Only just this moment! Pa' asked if 'Lexy wanted to accompany him inside since it has began to grow cold, and he clearly looked up at me and said my name!"

"Really? Oh isn't that just wonderful news, dear." His mother congratulated as she began to descend the small steps onto the soft grass, lifting her skirt to avoid ruining the hem of the dazzling fabric. "I would wrap you up in a tight hug if you were not all sat on the floor. You two should be well aware that we do have porch chairs, I'm so sorry about that, Anne."

"No need to apologise Mrs Washington, I have thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon, and what a lovely note to end it on." The nine year old smiled genuinely, gesturing with her hand to Jacky's bright smile. "I would even go as far as to say that was Alex's gift to you, Jacky."

"What a lovely thought," Martha cooed sweetly. "My, I suppose we have a whole set then! I'm not sure if you are aware, but Jacky's first word was Mama, which I can assure you nobody was surprised when the time arose. Patsy's had been Papa, Daniel hadn't actually been present to witness the moment, but he had been charmingly happy when I had informed him the following evening. And Alex's has been your name, a sibling, and I can easily tell you are extremely excited about that."

A pure understatement.

He knew his mother had only been teasing when claiming Alex had completed the set of first words, but the otherwise metaphorical interpretation that Alex had completed their "set", their family, was beautiful, and honestly heated Jacky's innards at the mere thought of the sincerity of those words.

Life would be so incredibly different without Alex around, he really had completed their set.

"Assuming everything is now prepared, how about we all get ourselves into the dining hall for your birthday meal, dearest?" George suggested with a smile as he returned to a straight standing position, offering out his bent arm for Martha to threat her own into. Jacky willingly leapt to his feet in pursuit of his father, turning around to offer a hand out to his friend, who had been collecting the books from their scattered placing around the large blanket. She stacked them into a neat pile, before collecting them in one arm and taking up Jacky's hand, allowing him to pull her onto her feet.

"I suppose I will take my leave, thank you for bearing my presence, Mr and Mrs Washington, it has been so very refreshing." Anne grinned sheepishly, her hand latching around a piece of hair dangling between her eyes as she moved to push it away from her face.

Jacky immediately turned to his parents to pressure his insistence that Anne certainly couldn't ride home by herself, but both George and Martha were already fixing the girl with confused stares, as if they couldn't quite make sense of her statement.

"Take your leave? Dear, you cannot venture home by yourself at this hour. You are more than welcome to join us for supper, I know Patsy would appreciate another woman at the table. George will accompany you home after we have dined." His mother insisted.

Anne swapped her gaze from the Washingtons to Jacky, before glancing towards the pathway she had travelled down, the looming darkness ascending the further away the dirt stretched. 

"Well...if it isn't too much trouble, I would appreciate the kind gesture." She whispered hesitantly. Jacky couldn't help but roll his eyes as his playful mood spiked, wrapping an arm around the suddenly timid girl's shoulders as the family began to shuffle towards the house, his mother clearly desperate to remove herself from the dirtied grass.

"Of course it's no trouble! I'm sure Patsy even has a nice dress you can wear, you are small enough after all." He teased gently. The flickering lights of the candlelit hallways were just enough for Jacky's eyes to adjust comfortably to a new brightness level, and he was easily able to dodge Anne's playful shove. Her height always had been a rocky subject, a perfect vantage point for himself at least.

He looked up from his teasing gestures to catch Alex's eye as the boy currently stared over his father's shoulder, ignoring the small whispers of praise George continued to mutter over the major accomplishment just committed.

Jacky knew his parents were extremely proud of Alex for just being able to formulate a real word with exact association, he had directly stared at Jacky, his big blue eyes fixated on the embodiment of one of his favourite people, and had pronounced his name. That clearly meant not only his vocabulary, but his interpretations were getting much better too.

But for Jacky himself, the pride didn't solely lie in the basic achievement. He had always speculated 'Papa' would be Alexander's first word. It was a simple repetition of a single syllable with a much greater meaning behind it, Alex absolutely adored their father, and was attached to his hip pretty much everywhere they went. It was almost a guarantee that George's parental title would be the first thing he ever said.

But no, instead it had been him, a much harsher word to pronounce too, the second syllable required much more control over ones tongue to really hit that "key" sound.

And at only ten months, it had been seven months exactly since he, Patsy, their father and Alex had all been sat on Jacky's bed, discussing what the tiny baby's first word might be in an attempt to defuse the awful tension of that whole rat ordeal, and so soon after there was no more might about it

Alex's first word _was_ Jacky!

"So, is it too early to ask what kind of dessert we're having?" He smirked cheekily. Anne fixed him with a look of disbelief, before even she melted into a keen smile.

Nobody under the age of sixteen could defuse their curiosity when it came to sweet treats, Jacky was sure that could be a scientific fact.

"Well, seeing as it is a surprise for your birthday, yes I would suggest it's too early to ask," Martha scolded mockingly upon entering the dining hall. There, Patsy was fixing the slightly out of place crockery atop the table, which had been decorated in a shimmering tablecloth with a golden trim. "Patsy my love, would you be so kind as to take Anne up to your room and find her something of yours to borrow for tonights meal? We've made a last minute arrangement for her to join us."

"Only if it is not causing you any additional trouble." She objected once again, anxiously tightening her grip on the books in her arms.

"Of course Mama!" Patsy complied as she rushed up to her brother and his friend, taking the slightly older girl by her free arm and pulling her towards the opposite doorway, chattering away before she was no longer audible.

"It's a good thing Anne finds Patsy endearing, if anybody else attempted to put her in a fancy gown, she would probably kick them." He chortled to himself, taking his usual seat on the far left of the table. His father sat down beside him, a usual occurrence, and positioned Alex in his lap, the best way they found the infant would take his dinner, which was finally beginning to consistent of solids such as stews and easily chewable foods.

"Peculiar, but honestly not surprising." Martha replied nevertheless, preparing a new place setting beside her son. It was only then did he realise they were using the extremely decorative goblets filled with a fancy whine their parents would bitter down with plain water for the children, which honestly surged him with a feeling of maturity.

They really did always pull out every single stop for special occasions.

"Maybe. She likes to pretend to be tough, but from what I have gauged that is not the case. It would be hard with a physique such as hers to be deemed threatening, but I suppose she has mental strength. You must have when you live with so many siblings and tolerate Patsy's excitability so very often." He rambled.

"It's quite nice to see your sister so excited about trivial things such as having a female friend close in age to dress up, and I have an incredible amount of respect for Anne and her tolerance if she does not enjoy the affairs. It helps Patsy hold onto her innocence, she does not need to be discussing pirates and thieves-" his father paused as he fixed his eldest son with a teasing smile. "-much like I've heard yourself and Miss Amélie discuss in your spare time."

"Those topics are highly interesting!" He gasped. "And besides, it keeps Alex distracted whenever his hands start wandering. The amount of times I have had to rescue your inkwells, there have been several close calls where he has tried putting them, amongst other things, in his mouth."

"Well I-" George was struck silent for a mere moment as his vision parted between his two boys, who seemingly both smiled the exact same cheeky grin simultaneously, Jacky's with much fewer gaps however.

"Since when has Alexander taken a liking to the flavour of _glass_?" His mother asked sternly, finally taking her own seat beside her husband and youngest son after reassuring herself everything was in its correct place. Alex seemed to lose interest in his father's conversation as Martha caught his attention, and began to squeal incoherently in her direction.

"Well, we do not tell you everything, we have our secrets too."

"Hmm, I'm not quite sure I approve of this secrecy between the two of you." George sighed flippantly.

"Don't worry Pa', we keep each other out of trouble," he winked, clearly adding no reassurance to his father's now avid concerns over exactly what Jacky was allowing Alex to put in his mouth. "He's never swallowed anything inedible on my watch!"

"I'm glad to hear."

Wait...

"...Except potentially a marble, but only once or twice."

George took a deep sigh as he ran a hand through his mostly tidy hair, mockingly exasperated by his children's antics.

"I swear the two of you are causing me much more grey hair than your sister, mother's family, the army and congress all combined into one." He sighed, pressing a brief kiss to Alex's cheek before passing him over to Martha.

"We do our best to keep you busy, Pa'" He shrugged, his eyes cascading upon his little sister and closest friend as they re-entered the dining hall.

"I put your books in Jacky's room, I hope that's okay," Anne whispered, awkwardly twirling a piece of hair around her index finger as Patsy practically pulled her into the harsh light of the bright candelabras. "Thank you for your hospitality, it is immensely appreciated."

"Of course! And might I say you look lovely, both of you!" Martha fawned pleasantly, gesturing to the new place set beside Jacky.

He personally didn't quite know what to make of his friend's knew attire. Instead of her usually simple beige pinafores, white undershirts and matching stockings with her signature riding boots, Patsy had swapped Anne's outfit for a simple yellow gown, lacking in hoops but still managing to flow slightly. He couldn't quite see what shoes she was wearing from his position, but thankfully her hair had not been touched, if only tidied up slightly.

Patsy had done a great job, Anne looked wonderful, but it certainly wasn't very...Anne-like.

"Thank you Mama, isn't she so pretty?" Patsy smiled, finally letting go of the nine year old's hand as she moved to take her own seat to her mother's left.

"Beautiful."

Jacky sent Anne a warm smile as she sat down beside him, which she returned calmly.

"You look nice, but I think you suit riding gear much better." He whispered awkwardly.

"Thanks, I'd have to agree." She laughed quietly.

"Before we begin, I would like to raise the traditional birthday toast," George began as he took up his own goblet, most likely filled with a richer wine Jacky nor Patsy were allowed to try as of yet. "To my strapping young son, Jacky. I cannot quite understand how quickly the time has past since I came into your life six years ago, but I would just like to reassure that these six years have been some of my best. Your mother and I are so incredibly proud of you, and over this year especially we have both noticed such a strong positively change in your daily behaviour, you have grown into such a confident yet caring young man. I can guarantee that our pride will only continue to blossom as you grow older. Happy birthday son!"

The rest of the family all stood and raised their glasses in response, calling out happy birthday wishes before they reached out to clink their goblets together. He thanked them all individually before following pursuit and taking a sip of his weak beverage.

In his peripheral vision, Alexander immediately caught Jacky's eye as everybody began to retake their seats, a light chatter fluttering in the air as Patsy asked Anne a question that didn't quite catch Jacky's ears, and their mother and father commenting on the small speech just made. His brother on the hand, clearly ruffled by the sudden commotion, was staring at his brother with wide eyes, complacent yet confused. He didn't seem to be near crying, but nor was he smiling with purified glee, simply...staring.

"Love you, 'Lex." He mouthed silently, lastly deciding to wink in his brother's direction. Alex blinked twice as if thinking of an appropriate next move, before a genuine smile broke through his firmly lined lips.

Jacky always enjoyed seeing his little brother smile, but the feeling held a much more familiar grasp in his chest after the events of their evening had played out,

After all, Alex had given him the best birthday gift imaginable.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I really ripped that anon bandaid off lmao.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this cute little one chapter fic.  
> For those who aren’t all that fussed about minor characters (so, people associated with the Washington’s outside of the family) do not fret, character’s such as Anne, Benedict Arnold, John Laurens and others will never be centre characters (unless people are interested!)  
> Hope you guys are looking forward to whatever comes next :)


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